The zombie game

chapter 24

The door swung open and two guards grabbed Joe and hassled him toward the large room. The rest of his friends were standing their as well, accompanied by armed guards all around them.

“We need a couple of people around here,” said Dave, “to do some work for us. But we need a few to come with some guards. I am planning a trip to the city. I choose Joe and Tom. They can help you.” Dave pointed at Ron and John. “We're going into the city. Joe and Tom can look for supplies. Ron and John can find a few survivors in the city and bring them to us.”

“And what if we don't decide to do it?” asked Joe.

“Then you get a bullet to the head, simple as that. It is a chance to to get out and about in the world. You have been confined in here for too long. I figured it would be a good thing for both of you,” explained Dave. “And its not like you have to kill anyone. Just bring me a couple of survivors. And bring me back some food.”

“Sounds good,” said Leo

“Come on,” John said, digging the barrel of the machine gun in Joe's back. “We are leaving in ten minutes. You might as well be ready.”

“This is just insane,” said Joe.

“Don't talk back,” said John. He hit Joe on the back of the head lightly. “You should be happy you get a chance to get and about. Now come on.” Joe and Tom were pushed down a hallway and into their cells. Joe grabbed his sword reluctantly. Tom put his pistol in the waistband of his jeans.

“It's time we go,” said Leo.

“OK,” said Joe. They walked to the front door.

“Bring us back something good,” said Dave, smiling.

“Don't worry,” said Leo, “we will.” He threw a wink at Dave. They walked out the front door and into the damaged world around them.

******

They had been on the road for a few minutes. Dead shells of cars were littered along the street like soldiers, bodies still piled up, having rotten all this time. The smell in the air was the stench of dead and burning flesh and the metallic smell of blood. Joe suddenly remembered his life before this when his parents had died and he was kidnapped by soldiers and brought to the FEMA camp and escaping the camp and wondering around. Clouds were shrouding the sky in blackness. In the distance, Joe saw a couple of dilapidated buildings that were jutting from the ground. They continued to walk until they came upon something and stopped.

“That is where we go,” said Leo.

“In that city?” asked Tom.

“Yes.”

“What if there are zombies?” asked Joe.

“Then we fight them. What the fuck do you think this is? Now shut the hell up and start moving again. Alert me when there are any people around that we can take with us,” snapped Leo.

“Fine,” said Joe. They continued walking toward the city until they reached it. It must have been a huge, expansive city before the outbreak, but now it was a huge graveyard of destroyed buildings, cars and sidewalks and streets. Joe and Tom walked side by side. They came across a large, metal, rusted sign that still had wording on it. It said welcome to Lansing Michigan. Joe had visited Michigan before; he had relatives who had lived in Michigan, including his grandmother and grandfather—it was around Ann Arbor where he had stayed numerous times. But he had also had aunts and uncles who lived in Lansing, so Joe had been to this place too, though it was wholly unrecognizable.

Tom had not been there. He had a grandfather who had left the state of Tennessee where he had lived, and his grandfather had moved to Michigan, but Tom had no clue where or even why he would abandon them just like that. Tom and Joe looked at all the devastation that had overcome the city—cars were sitting like gravestones, rotten shells jutting from the ground, small, light tendrils of smoke trickling into the air like snakes sliding across the Sahara Desert. A couple of moans escaped through the silence of the dead city, drifting on a currents of wind, too far away to be of any concern. They had not found any zombies yet, but they were still on the offensive, in case anyone, or anything were to pop out at them.